Vaachas Chame. O Lord! Grant me the boon of expression.
To understand this prayer, I would like to share a couple of stories.
Gautam Buddha is sitting with his disciples. Someone enters the place and that man seems to be angry. He spits on Buddha's face. Buddha’s disciples are very much shocked and angry. They are ready to react and give him a good reply. However, Buddha instructs them to be calm. Buddha asks the angry man “Have you anything more to say?" that man doesn’t say a single word and goes back home.
After the man left, one of his disciple questions him “Why you allowed that man to go? He has insulted you. This is too much! We cannot do anything because you had instructed - otherwise we would have killed this man. We cannot tolerate such humiliation for our master.”
After few days that same man comes back. Now, all the disciples are ready to retaliate. This man enters the place and without saying anything cries inconsolably at the feet of Buddha and goes back home after few minutes.
Again, everyone is shocked. They question their master about the mystery. They want to know about the alchemy that had transformed this man. Buddha replies, “When this man came earlier he was so angry that words were inadequate to express his anger. All bad words were falling short. He was incapable of expressing himself. Again, today he was short of words. Merely saying sorry was not enough. His helplessness made him cry. Why so? We had not reacted in the earlier episode, he felt embarrassed. This brought him realization and had to repent.”
This story indicates that man wants to say something but he fails by not expressing himself in right words. In fact, not expressing through right words brings miscommunication. Awkwardly.
That is why the prayer –Vaachas Chame.
There are three categories of people.
First, the majority - about seventy percent - belong to this category. They have in-depth experience but cannot express themselves rightly.
The second category - about twenty percent - is of people who do not have experience but they are proficient in expressing! They have mastery over words. They can impress others by their fluency over language. However, such magnificent words only impress the mind and get dropped. They never reach the heart.
Ah! There is a story to get the insight of second category.
A man from Mumbai goes to meet his friend in Kashmir. Both of them go for sight seeing. They had gone to lake and wanted to experience boat rowing. The Mumbai fellow starts talking about other places where he had been for boat rowing. He talks about Vashi, Mahableshwar, Goa and so on. The event gets over.
Now, both the friends are returning home. The Mumbai fellow says “Fantastic! Boat ride was marvelous. It was a wonderful experience.” His friend who was a host is perplexed and asks him “What boat ride? You didn’t go for it.” Mumbai fellow gets annoyed “My dear friend I was with you and we had gone together for the boat rowing” The host replies “No. you were not with me. You were somewhere else. You were in Vashi, Mahableshwar, Goa, but not here.”
Mumbai friend starts realizing his mistake. He understands how he has missed the present moment by unnecessarily discussing the past. The host reads his friends mind and clarifies further “It is not that you have missed this experience. But the same mistake got repeated in past. Maybe, when you were in Goa you would have talked about Vashi and so on.” And gives him further shock “Now, don’t be under the impression that you have some authentic experience. Maybe, you never had first hand experience. You may have used the borrowed experience of the books, movies and outside source whenever you had confronted reality. That has made you miss the authentic experience. The real experience makes you silent. It engrosses you totally and there is no gap for words.”
This story indicates that man has to express rightly. The expression should be at right time and at right place otherwise there is a miscommunication. It is a dilemma –‘to express’ or ‘not to express’.
That is why the serenity prayer –Vaachas Chame.
The third category of people - about ten percent - is of masters. The blessed ones have the experience and are also proficient in expressing it. They are balanced and whole. They have the circumference and periphery. They have inward experience and outward expression. They get connected with self and with others.
Recap. Majority of people have experience but are unable to express (or they express it in a wrong way). However, experience is futile without expression. Also, expression is ineffective without experience. They are inter- dependent.
Experience is the base of expression. To express it rightly it needs the core of experience. First is experience, it comes with awareness. Expression is secondary but essential. Expression is the sharing of the experience. Right expression comes because of compassion, courage and memory.
That is why the prayer for right expressions -Vaachas Chame.
This prayer is the bridge to put us from first category to third. And we all know this world is beautiful because of right expressions. So, let us contribute and bring significance by expressing rightly. Vaachas Chame.
-Manjeet Singh
To understand this prayer, I would like to share a couple of stories.
Gautam Buddha is sitting with his disciples. Someone enters the place and that man seems to be angry. He spits on Buddha's face. Buddha’s disciples are very much shocked and angry. They are ready to react and give him a good reply. However, Buddha instructs them to be calm. Buddha asks the angry man “Have you anything more to say?" that man doesn’t say a single word and goes back home.
After the man left, one of his disciple questions him “Why you allowed that man to go? He has insulted you. This is too much! We cannot do anything because you had instructed - otherwise we would have killed this man. We cannot tolerate such humiliation for our master.”
After few days that same man comes back. Now, all the disciples are ready to retaliate. This man enters the place and without saying anything cries inconsolably at the feet of Buddha and goes back home after few minutes.
Again, everyone is shocked. They question their master about the mystery. They want to know about the alchemy that had transformed this man. Buddha replies, “When this man came earlier he was so angry that words were inadequate to express his anger. All bad words were falling short. He was incapable of expressing himself. Again, today he was short of words. Merely saying sorry was not enough. His helplessness made him cry. Why so? We had not reacted in the earlier episode, he felt embarrassed. This brought him realization and had to repent.”
This story indicates that man wants to say something but he fails by not expressing himself in right words. In fact, not expressing through right words brings miscommunication. Awkwardly.
That is why the prayer –Vaachas Chame.
There are three categories of people.
First, the majority - about seventy percent - belong to this category. They have in-depth experience but cannot express themselves rightly.
The second category - about twenty percent - is of people who do not have experience but they are proficient in expressing! They have mastery over words. They can impress others by their fluency over language. However, such magnificent words only impress the mind and get dropped. They never reach the heart.
Ah! There is a story to get the insight of second category.
A man from Mumbai goes to meet his friend in Kashmir. Both of them go for sight seeing. They had gone to lake and wanted to experience boat rowing. The Mumbai fellow starts talking about other places where he had been for boat rowing. He talks about Vashi, Mahableshwar, Goa and so on. The event gets over.
Now, both the friends are returning home. The Mumbai fellow says “Fantastic! Boat ride was marvelous. It was a wonderful experience.” His friend who was a host is perplexed and asks him “What boat ride? You didn’t go for it.” Mumbai fellow gets annoyed “My dear friend I was with you and we had gone together for the boat rowing” The host replies “No. you were not with me. You were somewhere else. You were in Vashi, Mahableshwar, Goa, but not here.”
Mumbai friend starts realizing his mistake. He understands how he has missed the present moment by unnecessarily discussing the past. The host reads his friends mind and clarifies further “It is not that you have missed this experience. But the same mistake got repeated in past. Maybe, when you were in Goa you would have talked about Vashi and so on.” And gives him further shock “Now, don’t be under the impression that you have some authentic experience. Maybe, you never had first hand experience. You may have used the borrowed experience of the books, movies and outside source whenever you had confronted reality. That has made you miss the authentic experience. The real experience makes you silent. It engrosses you totally and there is no gap for words.”
This story indicates that man has to express rightly. The expression should be at right time and at right place otherwise there is a miscommunication. It is a dilemma –‘to express’ or ‘not to express’.
That is why the serenity prayer –Vaachas Chame.
The third category of people - about ten percent - is of masters. The blessed ones have the experience and are also proficient in expressing it. They are balanced and whole. They have the circumference and periphery. They have inward experience and outward expression. They get connected with self and with others.
Recap. Majority of people have experience but are unable to express (or they express it in a wrong way). However, experience is futile without expression. Also, expression is ineffective without experience. They are inter- dependent.
Experience is the base of expression. To express it rightly it needs the core of experience. First is experience, it comes with awareness. Expression is secondary but essential. Expression is the sharing of the experience. Right expression comes because of compassion, courage and memory.
That is why the prayer for right expressions -Vaachas Chame.
This prayer is the bridge to put us from first category to third. And we all know this world is beautiful because of right expressions. So, let us contribute and bring significance by expressing rightly. Vaachas Chame.
-Manjeet Singh
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